I just saw a brand new Paradigm Studio 100 v3 (1 Viewer)

Hey folks!

I did a quick skim of the thread topics and was surprised no one has mentioned anything about the just released Paradigm Studio 100s v3. I walked into my local Paradigm dealer (Advance) and I noticed a pair of studio 40's on clearance sale. Clearance?!? Then I saw a new speaker sitting in the place where the 100s normally stand. The sales person told me that this was the new Studio 100 v3 and that v2 was no longer available except for what they had in the shop (my buddy bought the very last pair of Rosenut veneered Studio 60's for a cool $1400CDN)! He also told me that the veneer option is gone for the v3's and the money you'd have spent on the veneer has gone into better drivers - which sucks as I think I'd pay extra for the veneer option if I could). I hope he's wrong about that, and he might be as he didn't seem to have any real info on the new line coming in. In fact, he told me that only the 100s are available in v3 and was unsure if he could order any of the v2 speakers any more (although word has it that the Studio 80's will never see v3).

Anyway, I didn't get a listen to the v3, and without an old set of v2's I really wouldn't have been able to compare the two so no big loss really... As for the look... Well... Honestly, they look better then Monitors, but that's about it. Without the veneer it looks like your run of the mill speaker. As for dimensions... Not sure if it's taller, but it probably is as it has an extra driver (see below). The v3 100's are about as wide as the v2 Studio 60's. The v3's make up for their skinniness in depth and are noticeably deeper by at least two inches if not more. they also seem ligher. I leaned it back to get a sense of it's weight and it moved with greater ease then the v2's - although this might be because of the lack of veneer. I'm sure anyone who owns v2 100's with veneer can attest to the heaviness of these speakers.

Now, as for the drivers.... It has 3 6.5's for bass, a 6.5 for mid and a tweeter. Yup, gone are the 8's which has me a bit miffed, but oh well, that's the trend these days isn't it?

As for the cabinet.... Well, nothing to write home about. It looks like what the laminates probably looked like. I say probably because it was a new colour which I would describe as beach but the sales person told me it's called sycamore. Whatever it's called, I didn't like it and I'm hoping that the old colour choices are still available (Cherry, Rosenut, Black and Graphite for the center and ADPs).

And price? Don't quote me on this, but I believe he said something like CDN$2800, which is a little cheaper then the v2's (CDN$3K).

So that's all I know and was hoping others here could fill me in. What's the story on these new drivers? Do we have any performance specs to compare? Anyone listen to them? How do the 3 6.5 bass drivers compare with v2's 8's? What's the word on the veneer/colour options??? Are these new drivers shielded? And of course, what's the story with the rest of the line up? Are these timber matched with the v2's? Anyone???

- Mike

Mike;

What's this about asking if anyone has heard the new Studio V.3's when you were standing in front of them!!!

I was hoping you were going to tell us how they sounded. Go back to your dealer and report on their sound ASAP, or no TV for a week!

Anyway, they will come in three laminate colors: cherry, back ash and your favorite, sycamore. The floorstanders are the model 100 and the 60. The 80 has been dropped. The rest of the line will be the 20, 40, CC-470, a larger CC-570 and the surrounds, the ADP-470.
The bass and bass/mid drivers are new, with larger excursion designs, with larger die-cast heat sink chassis. They are now rubber mounted to the cabinet to "decouple" them from transmitting vibrations back to the cabinet, and I ain't telling you any more until you go back and demo them for a good couple of hours and report back!!!

JaimeB

David:

Of course I meant Black Ash! Back Ash is a CIA "Black" program, and of no concern here at HTF. Ultra secret! Don't ask!

JaimeB

Hey,

I am looking to buy a pair of 60s. I was at my dealer about 2 weeks ago, I asked about V3 and he knew nothing about it. I went in a few days ago and he had 20s 40s and the new 3 way CC in V3.

I had a quick audition and a&b on the 40s and the V3 is very open. It really sounded nice, the vocals jumped out (in a good way!) on the a&b comparison.

My dealer said he'll be getting 100s and 60s in next week. Can't wait to compare V2 and V3 60s.

And I liked the new look too! Not much difference in size for the 40s, but they moved the port to the front, top driver is coloured like a B&W (yellowish). They look nice.

Just a thought... But did anyone ever compare the 100's v2 with veneer and the laminates in terms of sound quality? I've always believed that the cabinet has some affect on the overall sound quality and I've always felt the superior quality of the veneer cabinets would add something extra to the sound. Am I wrong?

- Mike

Yeah, saw the new Studio v3s at the Calgary Stampede. Very nice.

These were the most forward sounding speakers I have ever heard, btw.

I never noticed that the V2s were yellow too! Perhaps it is brighter? Different texture? but anyway. Thanks for pointing that out.

Side by side, I definitely prefered the look and sound of the V3s.

Mike;

You still haven't done your homework! Bad boy! Go listen to the V.3 or else...

Nicko liked the sound of the V.3's better, wouldn't you like to let your own ears do the listening? They will actually sound better with Mapingo Wood, but Paradigm decided against a $9,599 Studio 100.

Just kidding, anyways, many audio/ video dealers remind me about car dealers. They know they sell cars, but they don't know SHIT about them. Nicko was at his dealer just two weeks ago and the dealer knew nothing about the V.3s. Pathetic! Paradigm should pull the plug on this dealer!
Just to let y'all know,(MIke, don't read this as you are grounded) the tweeter on the 3s is called S-PAL for "satin - anodized pure aluminum". Thus the color change, though I haven't seen it yet myself.

Keep those auditions coming in...

JaimeB

P.S. DUMB dealers!

The V3 studios were a surprise for many dealers because they were not gonna be released right now. The Signature series was to be launched first, than the studio series, but the last V2s that they produced sold really fast, so instead of making a new batch of V2s, they decided to rush out the V3s, which was a surprise to consumers and dealers alike.

As for the real-wood veneers, you are still essentially "offered" that option if you step up to the signature series. The technology is largely the same, the drivers are pretty much the same, but in better cabinets with real wood veener. Instead of thinking of it as an upgraded studio series with no more wood, think of it more as a discontinued studio series, replaced with the MUCH more expensive signature series, but then they put those drivers in much cheaper, bargain enclosure with laminate, to get almost the same sound to us fans lurking around for low-priced bargains. By now, dealers should now of the new studios, as they are shipping as we speak. As for two weeks ago, I'd say most dealers a few weeks ago were only just beginning to get preliminary information on the new studios.

As for the yellow drivers, they are a little more yellow, and they have a shiny dustcap, which is more visually striking. One of the differences mentioned by the Paradigm rep to me between the studios and the signature, was that the signatures had a gold-colored dustcap, rather than a silver. So that should give you an idea of the "major" differences between the two lines...

The gold cap will resonate differently from the silver, resulting in a TOTAL different sound "signature" (pun intended)

Mike,
yeah I was in there for a few minutes yesterday and checked them out quickly (sorry guys no listen, I was pretty rushed). Yeah, the top driver (spal) looks a lot like the Kevlar material used in the B&W speakers. I talked to one of the salesmen quickly and he said the money the saved from the laminate finishes was put into, as Jaime mentioned, new drivers and shoring up the cabinet (decoupling) and improved bracing.

Okay well... Today I went back to the dealer and actually listened to the Studio 100s v3!!!!!!



Of course to properly compare them to the sound of the v2's I'd need a pair of 100's v2 right next to them and unfortunately they didn't have any. Nor did they have any 80's, 60's or 40's, :frowning: but they did have a set of 20's!
So what did I think? The new v3 100's sound better then the v2 20's - and so I should hope! But overall I found the v3's to sound more forward and clearer, otherwise they are pretty close. I would say they match fairly well with the v2's and I wouldn't worry about mixing them into your system (except for looks wise :frowning: ).

Unfortunately the sales person I was dealing with knew even less then the other sales person I was dealing with the first time I saw them, so no news to report otherwise... :frowning:

So Jammie, do you think I can watch some TV now???

- Mike

Mike:

Good boy! By all means go watch TV!
Thanks for your short report on the studio 100 v.3, wish you could tell us if the bass was more extended, larger soundstage, more pinpoint imaging, more (or less) musical etc, etc. I know there where no 100 V.2 to compare to but a more comprehensive... well forget it, a dumb salesman standing next to you will always sour an audition.

Very best,
JaimeB

Mike,

When you say "forward and clearer" do you mean midrange? Upper midrange? Treble (*shudder*)?

More high frequency emphasis could suck (tm).